Method and apparatus for ejecting cinders and the like from locomotive smoke boxes



July 25, 1950 R. R. MGINTOSH I METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EJECTING CINDERS AND THE LIKE FROM LOCOMOTIVE SMOKE BOXES Filed July 6, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l Y E N R O T INVENTOR RR. McIntosh July 25, 1950 NTOSH 2,516,714

R. R. M I METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EJECTING CINDERS AND THE LIKE FROM LOCOMOTIVE SMOKE BOXES Filed July 6, 1945 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR R. R. Mc Intosh BY QCPM 4 0 4o TORNEY Patented July 25, 1950 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EJECTING CINDERS AND THE LIKE FROM LOCOMO- TIVE SMOKE BOXES Robert R. McIntosh, Battle Creek, Mich.

Application Jul-y 6, 1945, Serial No. 603,477 4 Claims. (01. 1105122) The present invention relates broadly to ejection methods and apparatus, and in its specific phases to cinder ejectors for use in locomotive smoke boxes.

Conventional railroad steam locomotive construction utilizes the delivery of exhaust steam through a smoke stack to create suction pressure in the smoke box and draft through the locomotive. This draft causes small cinders, ashes, and partially burned solid combustible material to be drawn from the firebox, through the fire tubes in the boiler, to the smoke box, where they would remain unless some means were provided for their removal. Where the draft through the locomotive is controlled at relatively uniform suction pressure levels which are below the level to which the suction pressure would raise, if uncontrolled, the cinders, ashes, and partially burned solid combustible material are smaller and lighter and, due to the lower suction pressure, tend to accumulate in the smoke box in the absence of conventional front end draft plate arrangements, cinder breakers, and other bailiing devices, which are necessary with uncontrolled draft to create suificient velocity and direction of gas flow to remove the cinders through the stackto the atmosphere. It was a knowledge of this difficulty, and the recognition of the shortcomings of the prior art ejection devices, which led to the discovery and development of the present invention.

This patent application is a continuation-inpart of my co-pending patent application Ser. No. 381,290, filed March 1, 1941, which has matured into Patent No. 2,379,916, dated July 10, 1945.

Accordingly, among the objects of the present invention is the provision of a new method and apparatus for the handling and ejection of cinders and the like from a locomotive smoke box.

Another object is to provide an ejection apparatus which is simple to construct, and highly efficient in operation.

Another object is to provide a cinder ejector which utilizes, for its operation, the suction pressure created by exhausting steam through the 10- comotive smoke stack.

A further object is to provide means for sweeping the cinder-s, ashes, and partially burned particles to the inlet end of a cinder ejection tube.-

A further object is to supply air to the hot solid combustible material in the smoke box in manner causing it to be substantially, if not com pletely, burned out before ejection, with elimination of this fire hazard along the railroad right of way.

Still further objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends the invention, then, consists of the methods and means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawings and the following description setting forth in detail certain means and modes of carrying out the invention, such disclosed means and modes illustrating, however, but several of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a locomotive front end with part of the smoke box shell broken away to show one form of my suction pressure control device in combination with a simplified form of cinder ejector.

Figure 2 shows a partially sectioned front elevational view taken along line 22 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 shows a partially sectioned top view of a locomotive front end with part of the smoke box. shell and smoke stack broken away to show a modified form of the present invention.

Figure 4 shows a side elevation of a locomotive front end with part of the smoke box shell broken away so as to show certain further details of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows, in reduced scale, a locomotive boiler with fire box and smoke box.

The conventional locomotive front ends are so constructed that, in order to protect the fire bed in the fire box from tearing, they have to have baflies to choke back the extreme suction pres sures created under high back pressure exhaust from the locomotive cylindersv (not shown) That baffling in turn chokes down the lower end of the suction pressure so as to adversely affect the drafting of the locomotive. In order to overcome those difficulties the draft controlling apparatus of my aforementioned co-pending patent application, was devised. i

The locomotive smoke box I has a smoke stack 2 and a depending extension 3, such extension having a flared bottom or petticoat 4. Mounted on the bottom of the smoke box 1 is an exhaust stand 5 with nozzle 6 and blower ring 1. The ex haust stand in turn is connected at its lower end through suitable piping to the exhaust ports of the locomotive cylinders '(not shown) for conventional delivery of exhaust steam out through the smoke stack in manner creating suction in the smoke box requisite todrafting of the locomotive. Blower ring I is used particularly for the deliverceed'same. To accomplish this,two air inlet dampers 8 and 9 are provided and same may be mounted on endwise movable shafts l and H which pass through guide frames 12 and I3 respectively at one end, and between rollers 14 and I respectively at the other end. These dampers are mounted in air inlet assemblies 18 and ll, both of which pass through and are tightly sealed to smoke box I. pend from the bottom of each of the air inlet assemblies 16 and I"! and each contains weights 19 carried by a cable 20 which passes over a sheave 2| and is fastened to corresponding air inlet dampers 8 and 9. Tight fitting louvers 22, or the equivalent, are mounted in the air inlet end of inlet assembly I! and are actuated by a suitable actuating mechanism 23 controlled in any suitable manner.

The weights attached to damper S of air inlet assembly ll are such that when the suction pressure in the smoke box exceeds a predetermined low level, damper 9 moves inward under force of the suction pressure created in the smoke box and allows suction reducing air to flow thereinto.

The weights attached to damper 8 of air inlet assembly IE, on the other hand, are heavier and set so that the damper 8 will open at a predetermined higher suction pressure in the smoke box I. With air inlet assembly H controlling the low pressure level, the operation of actuating mechanism 23 to close louvers 22 substantially stops the flow of air therethrough, and the operation of air inlet assembly IT. This allows the suction pressure to rise to the higher level controlled by air inlet assembly IS. The shifting of the suction'pressure level in the locomotive smoke box is thus readily controlled by controlling the opening and closing of louvers 22. If desired, air inlet assemblies 16 and I! may be connected to an open bottom hood member 24.

'The drafting of a locomotive causes a certain amount of ashes, cinders, and partially burned particles to be carried from the fire box 45 through the fire tubes 25 into the smoke box I where they accumulate and have to be removed from time to time. These ashes, cinders, and partially burned particles carried into the locomotive smoke box, where my automatic draft cont-rolling mechanism is used, are generally speaking, smaller and lighter weight than is the case with particles drawn into the smoke box of a standard locomotive front end construction where pulsating higher suction pressures are utilized. 1

The problem of how to dispose of the accumulation 'of ashes, cinders, and partially burned particles, without the necessity of having to open the smoke box door 26 and shove] out the cinders at the end of almost every run, was a contributing factor which led to the discovery and development of the present cinder ejection invention. The cinder removal apparatus set forth in my co-pending patent application, as illustrated herein, consisted of a suctionpipe 21 (Figure-1) Sealed bottom housings [8 deanchored to hood member 24 by means of a bracket 28, and to the door frame 29 by means of a bracket 30. The upper end of suction pipe 2! was thus in the relatively high suction pressure area at the base of petticoat 4, while the lower end of suction pipe 21 was near the bottom of smoke box I, and at the front end thereof, where the ashes, cinders, and partially burned particles tend to accumulate. The relatively high suction pressure present at the base of the smoke stack petticoat causes a portion Of the products of combustion present in the locomotive front end to flow rapidly through suction pipe 2'! and carry the ashes, et cetera, through said pipe to the base of the smoke stack petticoat where they are picked up and discharged from the smoke box through the smoke stack. With the apparatus illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 a substantial amount of the ashes, cinders, and partially burned particles pass directly up through the smoke stack without being carried through suction pipe 21, and when these partially burned particles reach the open air there is some danger of reignition and a slightpossibility of starting fires along the railroad right-of-way. This situation, which is very pronounced and dangerous with the standard construction locomotive front ends, led to the further improvement in cinder ejection apparatus illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.

In order to direct the products of combustion downward to the bottom of the locomotive smoke box near the front end of same, a baffle 3|, Figure 4, is mounted on the front face of the superheater header 3.2. To further reduce the amount of partially burned particles passing directly up the smoke stack 2 as they emerge from the fire tubes 25, a second baflle 33 is mounted on the back portion of the exhaust stand E by means of supporting brackets 34. The upper end of baille 33, in turn, is anchored by a bracket 35 joined at its other end to baflle 3i. This construction causes the centrifugal throwing out of suspended particles which settle gradually to the bottom of the smoke box adjacent to its front end at the suction entrance to pipe 21a. Suction pipe 21a in this construction is conventionally fastened to exhaust stand 55a, as by bracket 41, with its upper end very closely spaced to the stream of exhaust steam flowing from the exhaust stand through smoke stack 2, the outlines of such stream of exhaust steam being indicated by the dashed lines 36. The lower end of suction pipe 21a, in turn, is provided with a flared and flattened nose member 31, the bottom of which has an open inlet slot 43 spaced from the bottom of smoke box I by means of supporting brackets 38 and 39. The actual spacing of nose member 3? from the bottom of smoke box I may be varied over a considerable range although a spacing of approximately 1 to 2" is suitable for most purposes.

In order to help sweep the deposited ashes, cinders, and partially burned particles to the inlet end of suction pipe 21a, a pair of small air inlet members may be provided. Each of these may consist of a nippple 40 either threaded or welded into a suitable opening 4| in the bottom of the smoke box. Threadedly joined to the upper end of nipple 40 is an elbow 42 into which is screwed a piece of pipe 43, the front end 44 of which is preferably flared to a moderate extent. With this construction the pipes 43 may be swung about in a limited are so as to find the best position for sweeping ashes, cinders, and partially burned particles to the inlet end of the nose member 31 of suction pipe 21a. The air thus admitted serves a dual purpose since it not only sweeps but also helps to burn the moderately slow moving combustible particles so that by the time they reach the suction pipe and flow through it and out of the smoke stack they are, for all practical purposes, completely burned out and of no fire danger to the property along the railroad right-of-way. The air admitted to the smoke box in accordance with the operation of my draft control apparatus, also acts to help burn out the combustible particles before they are emitted from the smoke stack. In addition the admission of air into the smoke box lowers its average temperature with corresponding reduction in temperature of the solid material exhausted through the smoke stack. This in turn further reduces the fire hazard since part of the solid combustible is chilled below the reignition point before delivery from the smoke stack.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of those explained, change being made as regards the means and the methods herein disclosed, provided those stated by any of the following claims or their equivalent be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. The method of handling and disposing of finely divided material such as small cinders, ashes, and partially burned solid material passing into and normally being deposited, under operating conditions, in a locomotive smoke box having a smoke stack, which comprises the steps of exhausting a gaseous fluid out of said smoke stack under pressure greater than atmospheric to create suction pressure in said smoke box, admitting a limited amount of air into said smoke box to promote burning of ignited and partially burned solid material therein, separately directing air along the bottom of the smoke box interior to sweep a substantial portion of said finely divided material to a predetermined elevating point, and elevating the so treated solid materials direct from the bottom surface of said smoke box interior to said smoke stack for discharge.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a smoke box having an exhaust stand and a smoke stack of suitable size thereabove, of a cinder ejection pipe having only two open ends, said pipe extending from a point adjacent but spaced from the bottom of said smoke box direct to a point above said exhaust stand. and at the base of said smoke stack, "said ejection pipe having on its lower end an open bottom nose member, means for sweeping solid material particles to the open bottom nose member on the lower end of said ejection pipe, whereby suction created by forceably delivering gaseous fluid alone from said exhaust stand through said smoke stack will cause a suitable flow of fluid through said ejection pipe which in turn will carry any cinders and the like present on the bottom of the smoke box at the lower end of said ejection pipe nose member and deliver them direct to said smoke stack for transmission therethrough and discharge therefrom.

3. The combination which comprises a fire box, a smoke box, a boiler assembly having passageways therethrough connecting said fire box to 19 said smoke box, a smoke stack connected to said smoke box for discharge of products of combusmeans direct to a point adjacent the bottom of the smoke box where small cinders and ashes accumulate, and separate tubular means for admitting air into said smoke box under higher pressure than the products of combustion therein for sweeping said small cinders and ashes along the bottom of said smoke box to the inlet end of said tubular means, whereby such cinders and ashes are automatically withdrawn direct from the bottom surface of said smoke box through said tubular means and delivered direct to said smoke stack for discharge.

4. The combination which comprises a fire box, a smoke box, a boiler assembly having passageways therethrough connecting said fire box to said smoke box, a smoke stack connected to said smoke box for discharge of products of combustion generated by burning fuel in said fire box and which flow therefrom through said passageways to said smoke box, means for directing a gaseous fiuid up said smoke stack for generating induced suction pressure in said smoke box, a tubular means having only two open ends, said tubular means extending from a point adjacent the base of the smoke stack subject to high suction effect and above said gaseous fluid directing means direct to a point adjacent the bottom of the smoke box where small cinders and ashes accumulate, baflies for diverting small cinders and the like downward and away from the bottom of the smoke stack, and separate tubular means for admitting air into said smoke box under atmospheric pressure for sweeping said diverted small cinders and the like along the bottom of said smoke box to the inlet end of said tubular means, whereby such small cinders and the like are automatically Withdrawn from the bottom surface of the smoke box through said first named tubular means and delivered direct to said smoke stack for discharge.

ROBERT R. McINTOSH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

